Sensing devices of many different types are commonly employed in a variety of environments and applications. Sensing devices encompass a broad spectrum of devices including, for example, various light-sensing devices such as laser-sensing devices, light sensing devices that are capable of distinguishing among different colors of visible light, and devices for sensing various other types of radiation including infrared radiation or heat, microwave radiation, and x-ray radiation. Additionally, other sensing devices include, for example, devices that are capable of sensing the positions of other structures, acoustic sensors, vibration sensors, motion sensors such as accelerometers, orientation sensors involving gyroscopes, and numerous other types of sensing devices.
Sensing devices are employed in a wide variety of industrial, commercial, military, residential and other environments and applications. For example, in industrial environments, light sensors are often employed in conjunction with conveyor systems such as those used in assembly lines. Such light sensors are often used to detect the presence of objects moving down an assembly line and to determine whether a given object has entered or exited a particular region of the assembly line. Light sensors of similar design can also be used in residential applications, for example, in connection with garage door openers. Also for example, in many commercial facilities as well as residential homes, various sensing devices are used in security systems in order to detect the presence of potential intruders within or nearby those facilities or homes. Sensing devices can further be implemented on vehicles, for example, to detect the presence of objects behind vehicles. Indeed, sensing devices are ubiquitous in today's modern world.
Although in some cases sensing devices are free-standing, typically sensing devices are mounted upon or in relation to other supporting structures. Further, in many if not most circumstances, it is desirable that the sensing devices be mounted in relation to such supporting structures in a fixed manner, or at least in a manner by which the location and orientation of a given sensing device relative to the supporting structure(s), target(s), and/or signal source(s) are known or predictable. For example, in the case of a light sensing device implemented in a manufacturing assembly line, it is typically desired that the light sensing device be fixedly orientated in a particular direction so as to be aligned to receive a light beam from a light source located elsewhere. The mounting of light sensing devices in other environments, such as in the case of garage door openers, similarly can entail the careful, fixed positioning of the sensing devices.
Although it is often desirable to be able to fixedly and reliably orient a sensing device in a desired direction or otherwise, it is also often desirable that a sensing assembly be suitable for use in a variety of locations and environments. For this reason, some known sensing assemblies include multiple components that can be repositioned relative to one another so as to allow the orientation of the sensor face (e.g., the face of the sensor at which light or another signal is incident on the sensor) to be varied in its position relative to another supporting portion of the sensing assembly by which the sensing assembly is mounted to a supporting structure such as a wall. Although such sensing assemblies can often provide desired flexibility in terms of positioning of the sensor face, some such sensing assemblies are disadvantageous in that the reorientation of the different sensing assembly components requires time-consuming efforts such as screwing and unscrewing bolts used to secure the various components to one another.
Therefore, it would be advantageous if improved sensing devices, sensing assemblies and/or assembly components, and/or methods for assembling, mounting, and/or orientating same, can be developed so as to address one or more of the above issues and/or one or more other goals.